I think I need a new voltage regulator.

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loudhvx wrote: It's pretty common for people to want to remagnetize old rotors, especially on English bikes. Since new rotors are not often an option, people change the stators.

I prefer working on electrical because it is measurable with cheap meters and scopes, but it's not intuitive, and is difficult to troubleshoot remotely for sure.I

When I test alternators, I use an active load tester I designed specifically for this purpose. That way there is no question.

Holy crap, Dexter!

How about something like this ???

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GPzMOD750 wrote:

loudhvx wrote: It's pretty common for people to want to remagnetize old rotors, especially on English bikes. Since new rotors are not often an option, people change the stators.

I prefer working on electrical because it is measurable with cheap meters and scopes, but it's not intuitive, and is difficult to troubleshoot remotely for sure.I

When I test alternators, I use an active load tester I designed specifically for this purpose. That way there is no question.

Holy crap, Dexter!

How about something like this ???

Something like that might be made to work, but there is not a lot of detail in the description. It would have to handle a long sustained load which will require a lot of heat dissipation. It should allow you to set the load parameters. That one does not appear to let you test just the alternator. It probably needs the reg/rec in place, so the test won't isolate just the alternator. You would want something designed to take 3-phase AC, and load test that.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationThis?

I like cool tools.
Steve

You need something to put a load on the AC voltage from the stator. I'm not sure if you could use a DC load tester for that application.

The reason batteries are always tested under load is because a no-load test is not definitive. Much like a no-load test on a stator.

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GPzMOD750 wrote: This?

That, I think, is just a passive load. To get useful data you need an active load, regulated to a user-settable voltage, that can dissipate somewhere in the range of 500 watts for a sustained duration of several minutes. That is not easy to come by, hence making one.

You can actually make a very crude one very simply, using three, 12v headlight bulbs rated at about 60 to 100 watts each (all the same). Then hookup your alternator wires to the bulbs so each phase pair lights each bulb. Then put an AC voltmeter on one of the bulbs and run the bike. Watch the voltage as you rev the bike. Don't let the voltage get above 15v AC. If the bulbs are bright at say 4000 to 6000 rpms, it's probably good. You can estimate the output based on the voltage and wattage rating of the bulbs. Then you can correlate the RPM to power output.

So one way is to use a complicated device, and the other way is to use a complicated, time consuming method, along with a bunch of math. I chose the first method since I only had to build the device once, saving time in the long run.

Ironically, after using it a few times, I stopped having charging issues, and haven't had to troubleshoot any charge issues since. For awhile it seemed like every month I was working on a Honda with charging issues. So now it just collects dust.

Maybe you should rent it out...

Or I could see if I could get the electrical engineer at work to build me one for a case of root beer (this is UT after all).

And Steve, I'm the coolest tool there is.

Well, the design was determined by what industrial parts I could pull out of the dumpster at work, so it is not exactly the simplest/best way to do it, but it works as intended. The stuff is really robust, but not cheap. Those parts were not made in China. They are about 20 to 30 years old and were used in machines meant to be powered on nearly continuously for twenty years, some now 25 years. The mechanical parts of the machines wore out. That, and obsolescence, is why they were dumpstered. I would not have built that if I didn't get the parts free.

The schematic is there, but if you have engineers willing, I'm sure they could come up with a simpler and/or better design, but who pays for the parts?

Ok, stupid question.

Shouldn't a drop in voltage be expected as the load drops? I.e. the batt becomes fully charged and using low beam.

As long as the batt remains above 12v after a run wouldn't that be normal?

On my volt meter in the dash I made, when the battery is fully charged I'm getting 14.5 volts running at HWY speeds. It shows the charge that's in the system.
Steve

swest wrote: On my volt meter in the dash I made, when the battery is fully charged I'm getting 14.5 volts running at HWY speeds. It shows the charge that's in the system.
Steve

What about around town?

I use all my lights so it takes a while for it to come up. Once there it will stay until I shut it down. I start it with the lights on, the process begins all over again. If you're putting out 13-14 volts, I wouldn't worry about it. :whistle:
Steve